A Burning Hope
by Sleepingbadgr
Summary: Life for Glade had been calm and peaceful for moons. She had spent her whole life living with her mother in an abandoned twoleg den. When disaster strikes, she must learn her true mission. Can she fulfill her destiny or will she crack under the pressure?
1. Prologue

_This is my second fanfiction so far. I think I have some really good ideas for this story as it progresses, so I hope you stick with this. I don't update that fast, due to school and the occasional writers block, but I will update whenever I can. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave a comment. All criticism is welcome. If you like this story, please check out my other stories._

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A slight breeze blew throughout the lush greenleaf forest, making the leaves on the trees shake slightly. Prey, that was usually out scavenging for food, were snug in their cozy nests, sleeping out the deep darkness of night. The moon hung high in the sky, watching over the land and bathing it in a bright silver light that illuminated the forest floor. The occasional hoot of an owl or snapping of a twig as some nocturnal creature traveled through the terrain, kept the forest from being completely silent. The forest was like many others, full of trees and thick undergrowth. The occasional stream or river cutting through the land.

One place in particular stood out in this moonlit forest. A small wooden house sat in a small clearing at the edge of the forest. The wood that had made up this twoleg structure had rotted after so many years of being left exposed to the elements. There were gaping holes in the wall, allowing access to many forest dwellers. Moss and vines covered the sides, showing the age of this structure.

Two bright, amber eyes gleamed from within the darkness of one of the holes in the wall. A few moments passed before the creature padded slowly out of the shadows and into the moonlight. The light revealed a sleek and slender she-cat. Her pelt was dotted with orange and black splotches of fur. She padded gracefully across the wood beneath her paws as she crossed a small wooden deck. She came to an abrupt stop a few tail-lengths away from the edge. Her gaze was focused on a small cat sitting at the edge, facing the green forest.

The cat pricked up its ears as it heard the other cats approach, but it never turned to face the cat. Instead it kept its gaze fixated on the sight in front of it. "Its beautiful, isn't it?" the cat meowed, finally acknowledging the other cats presence.

The she-cat nodded in agreement before taking a seat next to the smaller cat "It never ceases to amaze me. A land full of wonder and adventure. I would love it if I could just spend my days out there, exploring what secrets this world hides."

The second cat turned her head in wonder "Then why don't you?" her eyes filled with confusion as she searched the older cats gaze for any hint of what she was thinking.

Wrapping her tail around her paws, the first she-cat let out a deep purr "Because this is my home. Your home. Our home." her amber gaze remained focused on the copse of trees that separated her from a world of adventure "Too much has happened here for me to leave it. This is where I had first met your father."

"How come you never talk about him?" the young cats eyes were questioning as the cat stared at her mother.

"That, my dear, is a story for another time." The mother's gaze met her daughters, her eyes full of wisdom. The gentle breeze that had washed over the landscape had started to pick up, making the young cat shiver. "Come along, Glade. It's time for you to sleep. Being out here won't help either of us."

Glade glanced up at her mother "You go ahead Rain. I'll be there in a moment," she meowed softly, almost to the point of being inaudible. Rain sat there for a moment before pushing herself back to her paws. Without another word, she slipped back towards the entrance to the old wooden shelter.

Glade turned her gaze back to the shadows that lined the woods What is out there? Is it really full of adventure like she says? Her thoughts flashed through her head as she stared longingly at the prey filled forest. A soft voice called from within the wooden nest, dragging Glade from her thoughts. With one last look over her shoulder, Glade followed the path her mother had taken and disappeared into the warm shelter of the den.


	2. New Day

_I hadn't been planning on uploading a new chapter for this story for a while, but I have had a lot of free time and thought why not? So I wrote this chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter and please leave some feedback. All criticism, good and bad, is welcomed!_

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Everything was peaceful. There were birds chirping high above and a slight breeze that rustled the undergrowth. Around her, Glade could make out the large figures of trees, towering high above her head. Underneath the rays of the sun, she felt warm and relaxed, without a care in the world. She bounded through the lush forest, grass greeting her paws with every pawstep she took. The joy of being able to run through the woods without worry filled her body as she ran.

Up ahead in front of her there was a bright beam of light, showing that there was a clearing. The trees around her thinned out, exposing a long stretch of grass in front of her. Without a second thought, Glade charged into the clearing, a smile glued to her face. She had reached halfway across the clearing, exhilaration flooding throughout her entire body. Then she stopped. Her ears pricked up in confusion. A faint sound could be heard in the distance. Yet when she looked around she saw nothing.

The voice continued to grow louder and louder. Glade's confusion just continued to grow. She could finally make out what the words were saying as the voice seemed to sound from right next to her, despite nobody being there. It sounded like the voice was saying her name over and over again _Glade...Glade...Glade_. She was about to take a step forward, but before she could the world around her seemed to shake. The confusion that had been building up quickly turned to panic. With her eyes wide she tried to run back to the safety of the trees, but the harder she tried to reach them, the farther away they seemed to get. The shaking got harder and a rumbling sound had begun to echo throughout the sky, drowning out her whimpers of fear.

The ground beneath her seemed to fade and Glade was left falling into nothingness. She tried to yowl, but the rumbling drowned out her cry. She slammed her eyes shut tightly and before she knew it everything stopped. The noise and falling sensation disappeared. All there was was a familiar voice "Glade? It's time to wake up. You can't expect to just sleep the day away." She could feel a paw gently prodding her side.

Groggily, Glade blinked open her tired eyes _It was just a dream_ , she thought to herself. Her gaze met that of the culprit who had disturbed her. Her mother, Rain, stood over her, staring down at her, a smile spread wide across her face "About time you woke up. I was about to go hunting without you," she meowed as she waited for Glade to sit up.

Blinking away the last scraps of sleep, Glade pushed herself to her paws. While stretching out her legs, she noticed that bright shafts of sunlight were sneaking through the cracks in the walls of the dilapidated den. The sounds of birds chirping outside could be heard from where the cats stood. Glade's stomach growled with hunger and she realized how hungry she was. Just thinking about food made her mouth water.

She turned her attention back to Rain who had taken up a position at the entranceway of the den "Come on slowpoke!" she called over her shoulder before disappearing into the outside world. Letting out one last yawn, Glade padded after her mother. Outside the abandoned twoleg structure she spotted her mother rounding the corner, heading towards the back of the den. The sun was already at it's peak as she followed her mother. Once on the other side of the den, she found her mother waiting for her, standing next to an old stone staircase leading to somewhere below the house. The two she-cats had always hunted down there, despite how much Glade wanted to try her luck hunting in the forest. Her mother had always seemed content with their wooden den and Glade didn't want to leave her alone here so she stuck around.

With a flick of her tail, Rain signaled that they were heading down. Following closely behind, Glade trailed after her mother down into the darkness. At first all she could make out was the pitch black darkness that surrounded them, but after a few moments her eyes adjusted enough to see where she was. The walls and the floor were made out of solid stone, feeling slightly awkward to walk on. The ceiling above her head was made out of dirt and for a reason unknown to the cats, didn't fall. All around her were old boxes and twoleg junk, all in disarray. The sound of scuffling feet and startled squeaks reached Glade's ears and she instinctively dropped into a crouch.

Heading in the opposite direction of her mother, Glade kept close to the wall, her belly low to the ground. Her eyes were narrowed and were gazing at her surroundings, searching for any sign of movement. A small tail flashed by her vision and disappeared into a crack of a box. Remembering what she had been taught about hunting down here, she leaped on top of the box and waited. All Glade could hear was the gentle beat of her own heart and the scuttle of paws beneath her. When she spotted fur appear out of a crack below her, she leaped.

She landed directly on top of the mouse and pinned it to the hard ground. She leaned her muzzle towards the small creature and with a swift bite, ended its life. She sat up and licked the blood off her muzzle, savoring the warm taste of the fresh kill. Picking up the limp furred body, Glade carried it back up the cold steps. When she reached the top, Rain was sitting there waiting "About time. What took you so long?" she teased, motioning to the two unmoving bodies that laid at her paws.

Glade let out a purr, flicking her tail across Rain's muzzle as she passed. Together, the two she-cats headed back into their den. Padding over to her nest, Glade laid down and began to eat her prey. Rain sat a tail-length or two away, taking a slow bite out of one of the mice. She gazed over at Glade and rolled over her second mouse to her. Glade shook her head "You caught that, you eat it." When Rain pushed it a bit further she continued "Besides, I'm not that hungry," her gaze turned to the bones that sat not far from where she sat. Rain nodded and set the mouse aside.

"Will you tell me about Briar?" Glade asked curiously, knowing very little about her father at this point.

Rain was taken aback at the question for a moment and a flicker of sadness filled her eyes. She sat there without saying a word. Glade was about to apologize, but Rain spoke first "Very well. I guess I was going to have to tell you one day," she meowed. Thinking back to when her mate was still alive, she started to describe the tom "Briar was one of the best cats I knew. He was tall and muscular with a ginger pelt. He had bright blue eyes that always seemed to notice everything anyone did around him. I've never seen a cat so alert all the time without ever showing it." Letting out a sigh, filled with sadness she went on "I had been seeking shelter for a night after it had started raining. I found this place and decided to stay here. Little did I know this was where he lived. I thought it had been abandoned long ago. When he found me he noticed that I had a nasty bite on my shoulder that had gotten infected. He had patched me up and fed me until I was well again. By then we had felt something for each other and fate carried us on from there. He was the sweetest cat I had ever met," she concluded.

A silence covered the room and when Glade looked up at her mother, she was gazing off into nothing, lost in her memories of the cat she had loved more than life itself. Shaking herself, Rain turned her head towards the entrance. The light that had been filtering in had begun to die down. The wood was covered with a fiery orange, reflecting the color of the setting sun. "It's time we got some rest. Tomorrow is a new day with new opportunities." With that she wrapped her tail around herself and rested her head on her paws, soon falling into a light sleep.

Glade had a million questions running through her head that she wanted to ask, but now was not the time. Just saying a few things about Briar had made the older she-cat sadder than she had ever seen her. Plus she had already dozed off and Glade knew better than anyone that waking Rain up was a sure way to get your pelt shredded. A loud yawn escaped her parted jaws and with her belly full, she allowed herself to fall into an easy sleep.


	3. Shattered Peace

_I felt the urge to work on this again, so here ya go! Finally got up this chapter and I really liked how it turned out. Hope you enjoy it and please leave some feedback so I can continue to improve my writings. All criticism is welcome._

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The moon was still high in the sky when Glade was awoken. A paw was jabbing her side and, unlike last morning, was rough and urgent. Confusion filled her unfocused eyes as she raised her head slowly off the ground. "Wha…?" she muttered drowsily, only to be abruptly cut off with a hiss.

"Get up!" She felt someone nudging her to her paws "Come on!" Staring around the dark room her gaze finally rested on the shadowy outline of Rain standing over her. Rising to her paws, Glade shook herself, getting rid of some of the sleepiness that clung to her.

Opening her mouth to speak, she caught the strong scent of something she hadn't smelled in moons "Twolegs!" she let out a shocked cry "What are they doing here!" she asked Rain, who had started pacing back and forth, her tail flicking back and forth in fear and impatience.

Turning her wide amber eyes onto her daughter, Rain quickly meowed "You stay here. I'll be back in a moment". With that she darted towards a rundown doorway leading further into the suddenly unwelcoming den, not waiting to hear Glade's response. Giving out a frustrated growl, Glade sat down, hoping Rain would be back soon. Left alone with her thoughts, the young she-cat waited impatiently, casting glances every so often at where her mother had disappeared. The time seemed to stretch out for an entire lifetime, and worry began to bubble in Glade's stomach _What if they hurt her? She might need me. Oh, why didn't I go with her?_

Shaking her head once she thought _No. She knows how to take care of herself._ Easing some of her worry, Glade began to groom her ruffled fur. She jumped when she heard a loud, fearful yowl. She knew it wasn't a cat _Maybe the twolegs?_ Making up her mind, she decided to go check on Rain. Determination covered her face as she slowly crept forwards, inching her way across the creaky floorboards into the darkness. Peering around a corner she spotted a door, opened just a crack. She couldn't make out much from inside, but she could see a bright orange light illuminating from the darkness. Before she could move the door busted open with a pair of twolegs hurtling themselves towards the exit. Opening her mouth in a yowl of alarm as they raced past her, she realized what had caused so much panic in the bipedal creatures.

 _FIRE!_

The reek of smoke erupted from the room, causing a cough to escape the young tortoiseshell's throat. Urging her shaking paws to move, she pushed forward, heading towards the searing hot flames. Her senses were all alert for any sign of Rain in the smoke filled room. Entering the room she could clearly see the flames, casting up threatening shadows against the walls of the den. Scenting the air, fighting the urge to cough as the burning smoke filled her lungs, she searched desperately for any sign of life.

"Rain!" Glade let out a desperate yowl in hopes of a response. _Where could she have gone? she couldn't have left through the door._ Casting a glance at the slightly charred staircase near the hungry flames she thought it was the only choice. _She had to have gone up them._ Resiting the urge to run, to flee along with the twolegs, she darted towards the stairs. Ignoring the burning embers that leapt onto her pelt, she bounded up the stairs, barely making it passed the flames.

A spasm of coughing shook her body as she continued her search. By now the whole den had been filled up with a blinding smoke. Leaping out of the way as some of the supports toppled down at her, Glade crossed the room as fast as she could. There was one door over here, and there was no other way in or out, unless you counted the giant gaping hole in the wall that would end in a painful fall as an exit. Brushing past the doorway she was met with more flames that had spread from downstairs into the ceiling, or this floor.

Blinking smoke out of her eyes, she struggled to make out anything in the room. When she could finally see what was what among the room, Glade almost wished she couldn't. Lying a few tail lengths away from the fire laid the body of the one she had looked up to and loved for so long, Rain. Her body was barely visible under the collapsed wreckage of the roof. Letting out a pained cry, Glade hurtled herself across the room, not caring about the quickly advancing flames "Rain! Come on, please be alive!"

A wave of relief flooded through her body as she saw her mother's eyes blink open. The relief didn't last long as she noticed how foggy and unfocused her eyes were "Rain! I'm gonna get you out of this! I promise you'll be fine!"

Struggling vainly to push the rubble off her mother, Glade tried to fight the rising panic inside of her. Time felt like it had frozen as she used all her strength to push the pile of wood off. Giving another desperate shove at the large pile of rubble, she felt a light touch on her flank. Turning her gaze downwards she saw her mother staring at her with her paw extended "G-Glade…" she coughed, struggling for breath. "I-I need you to know...t-that I will alwa-ways love you." Closing her eyes for a moment she let out another cough, fainter this time "I-I will be waiting for you on th-the other s-side."

"No!" Glade managed to choke out, her voice filled with an overwhelming sadness "I won't let you die here!" Trying again, she pushed at the heap of rubble covering her mother. A glimmer of hope filled her as the pile shifted and began to slide to the ground. Yet before she could do any more a loud cracking noise sounded from above as the roof began to cave in. Leaping back just in time, Glade watched in horror as her chances of saving her mother had vanished.

 _N-No! She can't die! Not here, not now!_ Letting out a cry of despair, she prepared to head back to her mother. "G-go!" The faint, but urgent meow reached her ears. Struggling to breath in the smoke, Glade knew she had no other choice, but to leave the nest, as well as her mother behind. Her shoulders sagged as she staggered towards the doorway. Watching as large flames consumed the wooden doorway, a trickle of fear filled her mind _How will I get out now?_ she thought, fighting her panic. Swallowing, she turned her blurry eyes towards the giant hole in the wall. Padding carefully up to it, she gazed down at the long fall to safety.

Casting a glance backwards at where her mother had disappeared, to be replaced with flames, greif filled her mind. Pushing it away for the time being she turned back towards the long drop beneath her. Bunching her muscles to leap down, hoping she would manage the fall without any serious injuries, a sound reached her ears. She heard a cracking noise beneath her a heartbeat before the flooring gave way underneath her, and she was left falling awkwardly to the ground far below. For a moment she just hung in the air, fear and sadness consuming her, before she felt a hard thud and everything went black.


	4. The Clan

_Well, I completely forgot about this story for a while. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and all criticism is welcome._

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A blurry haze filled her mind as Glade laid there in the charred dirt beside her home. The fire was still burning steadily nearby, the structure of the twoleg nest threatening to give way at any moment. Glade just laid there, barely conscious. Everything was a blur around her and whenever she tried to focus she felt a sharp pain searing through her head. She felt tired and weak with pain, barely able to keep herself awake. Yet despite how hard she fought it, she succumbed to the darkness that was swirling around her, tugging her back into unconsciousness.

When she woke again she could still hear the steady roaring of the flames, refusing to die down, but there was something else. It sounded like voices coming from far away. Struggling to turn her head, she gazed with her unfocused eyes in the direction of the new noise. In the distance, she could see blurry shapes heading towards her, away from the shelter of the trees.

She closed her eyes for what felt like a moment and when she opened them again the shapes were hovering over her speaking urgently to one another. She tried to make out what they were saying, but all she heard was nonsense. Letting out a moan, Glade felt herself being lifted off the ground. She tried to speak, but nothing came out and she felt herself slipping back into the blackness.

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Images of fire engulfing her filled her mind as she slept. She saw herself back in her nest, laying next to her mother, only to watch everything she loved burn over and over again as the flames devoured everything in their paths. Her mother's face burned brighter in her mind than the flames.

Glade woke with a start, her head flying into the air, faster than she would've jumped for a mouse. Fear rose in her chest _W-Where am I?_ Her amber gaze surveyed her surroundings. Everything was still a bit blurry, but after blinking a few times her eyes were back to normal. She found herself in a roomy den, made out of stone. She was laying in a soft mossy nest on the floor of the den. There were similar nests scattered about the floor. The strong scent of herbs and trees reached her nose. Bright light seeped into the den from an entrance way not far from where she lay. Birdsong filled her ears as she laid there in the nest. _I need to find out where I am._

Glade tried to push herself to her paws, only to collapse back into her nest, gasping as pain jolted up her leg. "Don't try to move," a voice meowed from the back of the den. Glade jumped in surprise and gasped as another wave of pain washed up her leg. She turned her head to look at the source of the voice, careful not to move her leg. A young tom was facing her, his aqua eyes shining in the light that filled the den. He had a glossy bluish grey pelt and a grey tipped tail. He sat there, his tail wrapped neatly around his paws "It's good to see you awake."

Glade opened her mouth to speak, but instead she let out a bout of coughing. "W-Water," she managed to meow, her voice dry and rough as if she had been eating embers. The cat turned away from her for a moment and when he turned around he had a bundle of dripping moss in his jaws. When he set it down next to her, she drank as much as she could, glad to feel the cool liquid running down her throat. Relieved to have quenched the fire that seemed to be burning her lungs she tried to speak again "W-Who are you? Where am I?" Glade managed to stutter, her amber eyes wide with fear.

"My name is Dawntail. I am SpringClan's medicine cat. You are currently in SpringClan's camp," the cat meowed calmly, his eyes meeting hers.

Glade's thoughts were racing all over the place, question after question filling her mind. She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "How did I get here? Why can't I stand?"

"One of our patrols were checking the edge of the forest when they saw the fire. They went closer to check it out and thats when they found you on the ground unconscious." He stood up and walked closer to her "You're lucky to be alive. A few moments later and the entire place came crashing down. Luckily for you, you came out with only a few cuts and a dislocated leg. Just give it some time and you'll be up and about like normal."

Glade let out a sigh as memories from that night came back to her. She was the lucky one who had gotten out _But what about Rain?_ She looked into Dawntail's eyes "D-Did you find any other cats there?" Glade asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

The medicine cat's eyes filled with sympathy "I'm afraid not. If there was anyone else in there, they wouldn't have survived." There was a moment of silence in the den as the two of them just sat there. After a moment he turned to a crack in the wall and pulled out some seeds. He pushed them towards Glade "Eat them." When she just sat there eyeing them he continued "They're poppy seeds. They'll help with the pain." With that he padded out of the den, his tail whisking past her until it disappeared.

Glade was left there in silence. After licking up the seeds, she set her head down onto her paws and closed her eyes, trying to pretend that it wasn't real. That it was just a nightmare. _This can't be happening. It can't be. Rain is still alive. Our home is just like it was. In a few minutes I'll wake up back in my warm, cozy nest._

She heard movement at the entrance to the den and lifted her head. She opened her eyes, only to see she was still in the stone den, the scent of herbs still in the air. Letting out a sigh, she turned her head to look at the entrance and saw a new set of eyes staring at her. A tall cat padded into the den, his muscles rippling under his dirt colored pelt.

He dipped his head towards Glade in greeting before reclining onto his haunches a few tail-lengths away from her. "I am Hawkstar, leader of SpringClan. You are?" He meowed, patiently waiting for an answer.

She dipped her head respectfully before responding "My name is Glade."

"Nice to meet you Glade. It's good to see you awake finally. How are you feeling?"

Glade sighed "Not so good," she murmured as she looked down at her paws.

Tilting his head, Hawkstar stared questioningly at her "If you're in pain, I'm sure our medicine cat has something to help."

Shaking her head, she replied "It's not that kind of pain". She hesitated before continuing, wondering if she should be telling all of this to strangers. _How can you be questioning them after they saved your life?_ "M-Me and my mother had lived in the old twoleg nest together, the one that burned down last night. She had went to check out a pair of twolegs who had wandered into our home w-w-when the fire broke out". Pausing, Glade took a deep breath before continuing "I tried to save her, but...but...but," she fell silent, unable to continue her story as she recalled yet again that dreadful night.

A soft tail laid on her shoulders comfortingly and she recognized Dawntail's herby scent. "There is a way to help with that kind of pain. It's called time". She glanced up at the young medicine cat to see him staring down at her.

"Well, you can stay here until you recover from your wounds. If you need anything, please don't be afraid to ask," Hawkstar meowed as he stood up and stretched. He dipped his head at Dawntail before padding out of the den, leaving the two cats alone.

Dawntail nudged the limp body of a squirrel over to her "I brought you something. You must be hungry," he meowed as he headed towards the back of the den where he sat down and began to sort through piles and piles of herbs.

"Thanks," Glade meowed as she took a few bites out of the prey. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until now and in a matter of moments there was only bones left. Laying her head on her paws she watched as the medicine cat shuffled herbs into separate piles "So you're a medicine cat?" she questioned.

"That is correct."

"So, do you just heal cats?"

"It is much more than just healing cats," Dawntail meowed turning around to face her "I mean sure it's a big part of it, but as a medicine cat I am also in charge of communicating with StarClan and interpreting their signs."

"What's StarClan?" Glade asked, confused.

"They are our warrior ancestors who watch over and guide us. They send us dreams or signs to help guide our paws. Sometimes the sign may be a reflection in a pool of water or a scent in the air," Dawntail stopped talking, his eyes wide with wonder.

Glade looked at the medicine cat, who was staring off into space, mystified "So, you can talk to the dead?"

Dawntail snapped his attention back to Glade "Yes."

A thought popped into Glade's head. Shuffling her paws nervously, she opened her jaws to speak "Does that mean...you could speak to my mother?"

The bluish grey cat shook his head " I don't get to pick and choose who I talk to and when. Plus I doubt a rogue would have gone to StarClan," he paused when he saw the sorrow in her eyes "But, you never know what could happen," he meowed, hoping to lift her spirits a bit.

"I guess," Glade meowed solemnly. She laid there, staring blankly at the walls for what felt like forever. She ignored the sounds of rustling leaves as Dawntail sorted his herbs, stuck in her own misery.


End file.
